Dissociative Disorders
 Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), is a complex psychiatric disorder brought on by experiencing horrific and repetitious abuse. The abuse is extreme in nature, usually rendered by a trusted care-giver and begins at an early age. Although often a result of traumatic sexual, physical and/or emotional abuse, DID. can also develop due to neglect and insufficient nurturing.
Different personalities, or “alters”, are formed when the occurring events are too violent, traumatic or painful to be assimilated by the conscious self. The brain’s coping mechanism allows the mind to completely dissociate and create an alternative personality to handle the abuse. By definition, a person suffering from D.I.D. must exhibit at least one distinctly different personality, but in cases of severe, repetitive abuse, a single alter is rarely the case. Alters have their own age and sex. When needed, the alter “switches” and literally takes over the individual’s thoughts and behavior, exhibiting unique speech patterns, gestures and posture. “Switching” is often brought on by a “trigger”, which is a thought or memory associated with the abuse. Sufferers of DID experience a myriad of symptoms including depression, mood swings, suicidal tendencies, sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, compulsions, hallucinations and eating disorders. Other symptoms may include headache, self-persecution, amnesia, time loss, trances, and “out of body experiences.” DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER IS NOT YOUR FAULT Individualized, results-oriented treatment will enable you to heal from the trauma and live a balanced, stable emotional life. |
|
